Former NFL All-Pro Tomlinson shows kids that hard work pays off

Christopher Hadorn | chadorn@mrt.com

Published 5:53 pm, Wednesday, June 17, 2015

Photo: Tim Fischer

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LaDainian Tomlinson works with students as they run football drills Wednesday, 6-17-15, during the LaDainian Tomlinson Preparatory Academy with the Midland Boys and Girls Club at Midland Christian's Mustang Field. Tim Fischer\Reporter-Telegram less

LaDainian Tomlinson works with students as they run football drills Wednesday, 6-17-15, during the LaDainian Tomlinson Preparatory Academy with the Midland Boys and Girls Club at Midland Christian's Mustang ... more

Photo: Tim Fischer

Former NFL All-Pro Tomlinson shows kids that hard work pays off

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Former NFL All-Pro running back LaDainian Tomlinson is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to football.

On Wednesday, Tomlinson shared his football wisdom with hundreds of second-grade through eighth-grade kids during a football clinic held in conjunction with the Boys and Girls Club of Midland at Midland Christian School.

Tomlinson’s underlying message to the youth at the LaDainian Tomlinson Preparatory Academy wasn’t about football though. The 2006 NFL MVP stressed the importance of hard work, setting goals high and not giving up on one’s dreams.

“The No. 1 thing that we like to get across and you might hear some of these kids screaming it is hard work pays off,” said Tomlinson, a 11-year pro with the San Diego Chargers and New York Jets. “You have to train these young people early of how they should think. They should think that the harder that I will work, the more it will pay off. And it’s just not sports, it’s education in school. If you work hard at it, it will pay off.”

Tomlinson’s story is one that resonates with an underdog. The Waco native wasn’t a highly-recruited running back when he starred at University High School through the 1996 season.

Tomlinson told the kids that he wasn’t the biggest nor the fastest kid, but that didn’t stop him from believing in himself.

Tomlinson accepted an offer from Texas Christian University, a mid-major football program playing in the Western Athletic Conference at the time. TCU had played in only two bowls in a 31-year span before Tomlinson arrived.

By his senior year in 2000, Tomlinson was a Heisman Trophy finalist who spearheaded TCU’s climb to No. 21 Associated Press ranking and a 10-2 record.

Tomlinson used his TCU success as a springboard to be taken fifth overall by the Chargers in the 2001 NFL Draft and the rest is history. Tomlinson went on to score the third-most touchdowns (162) in NFL history.

“I was a late bloomer and I played everything (in high school),” Tomlinson said. “I’ve always had the dream of playing college football and so I never let anything come in-between my dreams of playing college football so even as it didn’t look like I was going to make it to college, I still believed. I still worked hard, I still put in the work and sacrifice and was dedicated to playing the game and then it paid off for me.”

Midland’s Ryan Tucker, a 12-year NFL offensive lineman, helped secure Tomlinson’s appearance because of his fellow TCU ties. Tucker is a board member of the local Boys and Girls Club and believed Tomlinson would have an impactful influence on the area’s youth.

“I’ve never been to Midland before,” Tomlinson said. “Obviously, growing up in Texas, I’ve heard a lot about this area before. Rich tradition with sports, so we’ve always wanted to make our way out here.”

Joining Tomlinson and Tucker at the camp was Ryan’s brother and seven-year NFL veteran Rex Tucker, former Baltimore Colts tight end Aubrey Linne and the MCS football coaching staff.

Tomlinson, 35, was very engaged with the kids as they participated in different drills. The Texan tried to strip the ball when kids carried the football while manuevering around cones that were placed on the turf. In another drill, he gave them tips and words of encouragement as the kids fought off a block at the line of scrimmage and then ran 10 yards to take down a tackling dummy.

“At this age, you want them to have fun,” Tomlinson said. “This is not a job for them. This is not a life and death situation. This is fun, playing with your friends and having fun. Those are the things that we like to get across to these kids.”

Jaydin Delgado, 10, was one kid that Tomlinson left an indelible impression on.

Delgado plays quarterback, running back and safety on his youth football team.

Delgado said Tomlinson’s story of persistence is what stuck with him most.